Safety astragal for freight elevator doors



June 23, 1959 N. R. GUILBERT, JR 2,891,289

SAFETY ASTRAGAL FOR FREIGHT ELEVATOR DOORS Filed Dec. 16, 1957 ig zz INVEN ATTORNEY 2,891,289 Pa'tented Jun-e 23, 1959 ice:

.SAFETYASTRAGAL FOREREIGHT ELEVATOR DOORS Nicholas Guilbert, ilr.,-Glenside, Pin, assignorto-"Guilbert, .Jncorporated, -lli'iladelphia, P4, in -corporation of Il'ennsylvania Application December 16, .1957, Serial .lNo. 702,894

' S CIalmS. '(CL'20"69) F'This invention relates to safety 'astragals and more *particularly'to such astragals for use onbi-partingcounteibalanced freig'ht "elevator-doors.

@Freig'ht elevator doors of the oi-parting counter-balanced type have heretofore been employed atthe various floors of an elevator shaftway. "In-order to provide a seal between thetwo 'door'sections, when closed, ityhas heretofore been common practice to provideastructuralsteel angle section on the upper door .which overlaps the lower door in the closed positions of the doors. This angle section prevents fire from passing :through any space which may exist between the doors and also prevents ethe introduction of objects between the doors for deposit or discharge into the shaftway.

The angles, while suitable for some purposes, introduce a hazard upon the closing of the doors, particularly noit hei fingers, .hands and wrists of :persons who do not take suflicient care to avoid injury.

It has heretofore been proposed, also, to avoid the hazards attendant upon the use of angle sections, as previously referred to, to attach to the lower edge or underside of the upper door a tube of rubber or the like to provide a cnushable assembly which will protect persons against injury upon closing of the door.

The forces employed in connection with the closing of the door, of the order of 35 to 50 pounds, are such that the tubes heretofore employed, if sufliciently stiff to withstand repeated stresses and compression to seal, are so stiff that the protective or safety characteristics are not available.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an astragal which is elfective to avoid personal injury and which will, at the same time, provide an improved fire seal.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a safety astragal which is simple in construction, can be readily attached to bi-parting elevator doors now in use, which will be effective in its action, and which will have a long life.

Other objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the description and claims.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, in which:

Figure l is a view in perspective, and as seen from the outside of the elevator shaft, of doors. provided with an astragal in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view, on a larger scale, showing the meeting edges of the doors and the astragal therebetween;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the lower edge of the upper door with the astragal in accordance with the present invention mounted thereon, taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4, and showing the details of construction; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

v2 It should, of course, be understood that the descriptron and drawings herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structure disclosed without departing from thespirit of the invention. Like numerals erall views.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, upper and lower vertically separable elevator shaftway doors are shown at 10 and 11. The doors 10 and Marc refer to like parts throughout the *sev- *of"well known type, can be operated 'to'open and closed positions in any desired manner, and "are preferably counterbalanced.

The upper door 10*has a lower marginal steel bar '12 formed aspart of the door 10,with a lower horizontal face I'B-and inner and outer vertical faces '14 and "15.

The lower door "11 has an'upp'er marginal steel bar 16 formed aspart ofthe door ll'with 'an'upper horizontal edge face 17.

The bar 12 has securedto the face '13 thereof, and extending from one end of the 'bar '12 to theother end thereof, a tube 20 of predetermined outside diameter, de-

-l'll jb'bel', natural or'synth'etic, so as to be flexible and resilient, with a core '21 of woven or braided yarns of textile fibers.

The tube 20 is secured to the face 13 in any desired manner, such as by screws 23 engaging the inner face of the tube 20 and extending into the body of the bar 12.

A flexible sheath 25 is provided which is preferably formed of a continuous strip 26 of rubber, neoprene being preferred, with a fabric reinforcement 27 and can have a thickness of the order of one sixteenth of an inch. The sheath 25 has disposed therealong and interiorly thereof and in contact therewith a flexible strip 28 of woven asbestos cloth of approximately the same thickness as the sheath 25.

The sheath strip 26 and the strip 28 extend the same width as the tube 20 and are secured along their longitudinal edge margins to the faces 14 and 15 by horizontal bars 29 and 30. The bars 29 and 30 are held in place by screws 31 extending into the body of the bar 12.

The sheath strip 26 and the strip 28 when mounted in enclosing position with respect to the tube 20, are in spaced relation to the tube 20 and preferably extend below the tube 20 a short distance of the order of one quarter of an inch.

The mode of operation will now be pointed out.

The doors 10 and 11 are operated in the usual manner to separate the same for access to the elevator (not shown) in the shaftway. If electrically operated mechanism is provided for moving the doors 10 and 11 with a predetermined maximum closing force, such force is of the order of 35 to 50 pounds.

Upon closing of the doors 10 and 11, the lower margin of the sheath 25 will come into contact with the upper face 17 of the lower door 11 and the sheath 25 and strip 28 will be flattened and distorted by compression between the lower edge face 13 and the upper edge face 17 into engagement with the edge face 17 and will in themselves, and reinforced by the tube 20, efiectually seal the opening between the faces 13 and 17.

If the doors 10 and 11 are moved towards closed position, the flexible character of the sheath 25, the strip '28 andthe tube 20 will preventj'injury to the fingers, hand, wrist or other interposed part of a person either inside or outside the elevator shaftway. At the same time, with the doors 10 and 11 in closed position, an efiective fire stop is.,provided to prevent a fire spreading either into or gout of the elevator shaftway. The astragal also, by its engagement inclosed position prevents the insertion of objects'between the doors 10 and 11 and into the elevator shaftwayJ r The tube 20 can itself be compressed slightly by the movement of the faces 13 and 17 towards each other ,to an extent to bring this about, without any deleterious effect. 1

I claim: a a

1. An astragal for bi-parting elevator doors in which the doors have horizontal upper and lower facing edges comprising a flexible tube member secured to the lower horizontal edge of the upper door and extending from one end margin to the other end margin thereof, a sheath of flexible material for engagement with the upper edge of the lower door and extending longitudinally along said tube member and secured to the upper door in enclosing and spaced relation to said tube member, and a strip of flexible fire resistant material coextensive with said sheath and interposed between said sheath and said tube member and secured to the upper door in enclosing relation to said tube member.

2. An astragal for bi-parting elevator doors in which the doors have horizontal upper and lower facing edges comprising a flexible tube member secured to the lower horizontal edge of the upper door and extending from one end margin to the other end margin thereof, a sheath of flexible material for engagement with the upper edge of the lower door and extending longitudinally along said tube member in spaced relation thereto and having "its longitudinal margins secured to the upper door in en.

closing relation to said tube member, and a strip of flexible fire resistant material coextensive with said sheath interposed between said sheath and said tube member and having its longitudinal margins secured to the upper door in enclosing relation to said tube member. 3. An astragal for bi-parting elevator doors in which the doors have horizontal upper and lower facing edges comprising a flexible tube member secured to the lower horizontal edge of the upper door and extending from one end margin to the other end margin thereof, a sheath of flexible material for engagement with the upper edge of the lower door, said sheath extending longitudinally along said tube member in spaced relation thereto and having its longitudinal margins extending upwardly in parallel relation along opposite side faces of the upper door in enclosing relation to said tube member, a strip of flexible fire resistant material coextensive with said sheath interposed between said sheath and said tube member and having its longitudinal margins extending upwardly along opposite side faces of the upper door in enclosing relation to said tube member, and longitudinally extending clamping members for securing the longitudinal margins of said sheath and said strip in engagement with opposite verticalside faces of the upper door above said lower edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Barnes et al. Oct. 28,1902 

